The Compatibility Equilibrium
by RickyTheMonkey
Summary: *A sequel to The Compatibility Constant* Part Two picks up where TCC left off. Sheldon and Amy are coping with the aftermath of the decision to terminate their Relationship Agreement. Without a contract, will they grow closer together... or fall apart?
1. The Termination Quandary Assessment

Okay, everyone - new story time!

At the end of my previous story, _The Compatibility Constant_, I asked everyone if they would prefer a continuation or a brand new story. The overwhelming majority wanted a continuation. SO – ask and you shall receive. (However, it should be noted that I am also working on an entirely new story, because I really wanted to do something different, too. That one will make an appearance at a later date, though).

If you have not read _TCC_, it will be much more difficult to get a handle on what is going on in this story. This one picks up _immediately_ where TCC left off. There was some canon character progression and a few new characters that were created whom you will not be familiar with if you have not read part one. I encourage you to do so before diving in to this one… for optimum enjoyment. ;o)

There are a couple of things that I did want to point out before you all started reading this one. _TCC_ was told entirely from Amy's POV. This story will be told from both Sheldon and Amy's perspectives - partly because I wanted to change things up a bit, but also because some of the scenes that I have in mind for it can't be told from Amy's perspective alone.

Also remember: _TCC_ began toward the end of Season 6, so no events from Season 7 were taken into account when writing this story.

Ok - enough chatter! Enjoy! And please let me know what you think!

* * *

**The Compatibility Equilibrium  
(_A Sequel to The Compatibility Constant_)  
****Chapter One: The Termination Quandary Assessment**

* * *

_What was I thinking? What have I gotten myself into?_

Sheldon was seated in his spot… his mind racing after the termination of his Relationship Agreement with one Amy Farrah Fowler.

_How could she have talked me into this?_

Then he remembered - she hadn't. This was all on him. _He_ was the one who suggested it. _He_ was the one who had forced her to sign the termination. _He_ was to blame.

_But, surely, this can be pinned on her somehow? The siren. She lured me in with her scientific fervor… her love of monkeys… her long horse-like hair and conservative dresses. Oh, yes. She knew what she was doing._

Sheldon sat with his long, boney fingers wrapped around a steaming mug of hot tea.

_For goodness sake… where is Leonard?_ His roommate had agreed to meet him back at their apartment following Penny's after-party, but had yet to show up.

_Oh, that's right; He's been taken in by a woman, too,_ Sheldon recalled. Penny had netted Leonard forever with her proposal that evening. Now there would be no living with him. He'd have to fight for time with his best friend. Not only that – but Sheldon's routine would inevitably fall into disarray. His dentist and haircutting appointments would probably be missed and there would almost certainly be a struggle now to get Leonard to perform his daily obligations as roommate.

Sheldon gasped as another reality hit him. Would Leonard even remain his roommate for much longer? What would come of that? And what about new comic book night or vintage video game night? He really didn't have the time or energy to dedicate to finding an entirely new best friend who fit all his criteria. No - he didn't like this change one bit.

As if on cue, Leonard walked through the front door.

"Where have you been?" Sheldon accused. "You said you'd be right over here."

Leonard furrowed his brow and looked at his watch, then sighed.

"Sheldon… it's only been twenty minutes. I came straight over here after we left the theater."

"How was I able to beat you here, then?" he argued. "We managed to take Ben and Claire back to their car _and_ get here before you arrived."

"I had to say goodbye to Penny first, Sheldon." Leonard groaned. "Geez. Get off my back. I'm here. Look, I promised to help you… and now here I am. Do you realize how much effort it took for me to leave my _fiancé_ on the night of our engagement?"

"I don't see why it would require any more effort than on any other night."

"Of course you don't. I forget you aren't human sometimes. You hide your on/off switch so well." Leonard rubbed his temple and tossed his keys into the bowl by the door. He took off the dress jacket he'd worn that evening and draped it over the chair by his computer desk before making his way to the refrigerator to grab a bottle of water.

"So… you sounded pretty anxious at the theater. What is it you need help with?" He asked.

"Women," Sheldon said.

"Women? As in… plural?" Leonard laughed and plopped himself down into his chair.

"Fine. _Woman_," Sheldon corrected himself with an annoyed huff. "One woman. One annoyingly bewitching woman."

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that we are talking about Amy." Leonard leaned back in his chair with a smirk on his face.

"Yes. _Amy_."

"Well… what's up?"

"We terminated our Relationship Agreement, Leonard."

His roommate spewed his water across the room and sat up on the edge of his seat. "What?! You broke up?!" He wiped his mouth on the sleeve of his shirt. "Wow. I just saw you two in the parking lot! If _that's_ the way you think you are supposed to break up with a woman, then you really _do_ have a warped mindset about how relationships work."

Sheldon frowned at the water that was now covering the coffee table, threatening to spill onto his latest issue of _Thor_.

"Of course we didn't break up. Why would you think that?" He swiftly grabbed his comic book away from the regurgitated liquid.

"But… you terminated your Agreement with her. What else could that mean?"

"It means I've fallen victim to the downside of romantically-based relationships, Leonard. The side that makes one do things without thinking about the consequences. It seems I am not immune after all," Sheldon frowned at his roommate's still-perplexed expression, before elaborating. "We are still a couple. Just… sans Agreement."

"Oh… okay." Leonard relaxed a little and leaned back in his chair.

_How can he be so calm about this?_

"It most certainly is _not_ okay! What do I do now? I have no idea how to proceed."

"What do you mean?"

"I no longer have a document to guide me in my relationship with Amy Farrah Fowler. Nothing that lets me know when we have gone too far. There's nothing to restrict our physical interaction. Nothing to keep her from grabbing at me like a bandit snatching up money in an open bank vault." He sighed. "Anything could happen, Leonard."

"Wow," Leonard laughed. "How'd she talk you into that one? I can't even get you to let me buy crunchy peanut butter."

Sheldon slumped his shoulders and fell back into his seat. "She didn't._ I_ had to talk _her_ into it."

"What? You mean… this was _your_ idea?"

Sheldon nodded and put his face into his hands. "This has to have been the result of some sort of manipulation." He looked up at Leonard, as though he had just remembered something important. "She works with _brains_, Leonard. _Brains_! Maybe she did something to mine. You know, I have this weird tiny bump on the back of my head. I thought it was a mosquito bite, but maybe she –"

"Woah, woah, woah," Leonard interrupted his roommate and set his water bottle down on the table. "Let's not accuse Amy of probing your brain without first looking at all other possibilities."

"What else could it be? That has to be it!" He grabbed at the back of his head trying to find the mosquito bite in question.

"No… Sheldon. Think for a second. Maybe you just secretly _wanted_ to be more physical with her?"

Sheldon looked at him like he was insane.

"How about you explain what led up to your decision," Leonard suggested. He leaned toward Sheldon with his elbows on his knees. "Did anything significant happen prior to the termination of your Agreement?"

Sheldon thought for a moment. "Yes."

"Okay," Leonard nodded, thankful that progress was being made. "What happened?"

"I finally resolved that sticky equation that had me in a pickle for the better part of a week at work." Sheldon smiled before continuing with excitement. "Turns out… I had the mass of the electron wrong. I was treating the nucleus like a point charge and the speed of the – "

"I _meant_… something significant involving _Amy_," Leonard interrupted with an annoyed roll of his eyes.

"Oh!" _He really should have clarified_, Sheldon thought. _That really narrows it down._

The physicist pondered his roommate's question for a few seconds. A lot had indeed happened between he and Amy recently; but he hadn't realized exactly how much had transpired until he started to take account of it all. His eidetic memory wouldn't allow him to forget any of it, though.

Over the past few months, he and Amy had started holding hands regularly and had begun to kiss more often – which had not been as unpleasant as he'd expected it to be. She'd declared her love for him, and he'd admitted that he felt the same way. It was the truth, of course, but he'd never intended to actually say it aloud. _What was the point? I guess if it makes her happy._ He'd met her parents and – what's more – he'd liked them. Her dad, at least. Sheldon had even dipped his toes in the realm of business management by joining forces with Amy's father, James, to begin selling his own board games - and business was good. In fact, Sheldon was due for his first paycheck from the endeavor later this month. Not that he needed it. He still had a whole stack of uncashed checks in his desk drawer.

"Yes," Sheldon finally said, noticing that Leonard was still waiting for a response. "Yes, I suppose some significant things have happened."

"Ok," Leonard nodded. "Are any of those things significant enough that you felt comfortable making yourself more emotionally vulnerable to your girlfriend?"

_Making myself emotionally vulnerable? What is Leonard trying to pull?_

"Honestly, Leonard, _your_ _mother_ is the psychiatrist… not you. Your mother's specialized field is not a genetic trait. Her skills don't pass down to her children."

"Ask my mother for help, then." Leonard threw his hands into the air and stood up, ready to make his way down the hall to his bedroom, muttering something about 'wasting time' under his breath.

"No!" Sheldon couldn't ask Beverly Hofstadter about this. True, he had shared many things with his roommate's mother, but this was something he needed his best friend to help him analyze. "Wait…"

Leonard reluctantly turned around. "Yes?"

"Um… my decision to terminate the Relationship Agreement with Amy was made when I realized that I was restricting myself."

"Restricting yourself… _how_?" His friend returned to his chair, interested.

"I was putting myself in a box. I don't like boxes. I'm claustrophobic."

"The type of box you are talking about is _metaphorical_, Sheldon."

"Irrelevant. The box was still there."

His roommate smiled. "Sheldon… that's actually quite poetic."

Sheldon sighed. He knew Leonard wouldn't be able to handle this. _Why do I continue to approach him for help? He always dives face-first into the hippy pool._

"Nevermind, Leonard."

"No, wait! I'm just not used to hearing you so open about your feelings."

"I wasn't talking about _feelings_, Leonard. I was talking about restrictions and obstacles and genuine medical issues."

"Okay, okay… so you removed your restrictions," Leonard said. "And that makes you feel – _er_ – I mean, makes you _concerned_ that…"

"I'm worse than a chemist, Leonard," Sheldon said with frustration, snarling a bit at his recollection of that horrible Ben fellow he'd had to endure earlier that evening. "No matter how many times you analyze two unknown materials… you'll never know how they will react until you mix the two together. I thought I had analyzed everything. Amy loves me, Leonard. And I love her. Her dad loves me. And I enjoy _his_ company. I know that Amy – for whatever reason – wants to touch me in public. While I don't see the appeal of it, I'm not as opposed to that as I used to be. The next logical step was to remove the limitations for us. In my mind it made sense. But, like a pea-brained chemist, there were more variables than I'd accounted for. The concoction blew up in my face."

"Wait a second… you _love_ each other?"

Sheldon groaned. "Honestly, Leonard. Why must you always fixate on the trivial?"

"Being in love isn't trivial, Sheldon! It took forever for Penny to admit she loves me. Those words have meaning."

"You've always been harder to love than I am, Leonard. What can I say?"

His friend frowned.

"Leonard – what does it matter? You're getting _married_." Sheldon explained. "That's what you wanted, isn't it? Don't turn my problems around and make them about you. Attention-hog."

Leonard rolled his eyes. "Fine, Sheldon. How did terminating the Relationship Agreement blow up in your face? Things seem to be pretty swell between you and Amy. You two looked rather cozy in that parking lot."

"That was anything but cozy." The backseat of Amy's car had been uncomfortable, dark and cold. Not exactly pleasant for someone who didn't even like to be contained in a _metaphorical_ box.

"Well, up until tonight you two acted like you were just work acquaintances. So I'd say what you were doing was progress."

"Leonard… It's that kind of talk that got me into this situation. In fact… I could blame this whole thing on you. You and Penny and your Shakespearean ideas of romance. Putting thoughts into Amy's head. You two are like a flippin' Nicholas Sparks novel."

"Sheldon, we didn't put any ideas into anyone's head. We're just –"

"She could leave now, Leonard." There it was. Sheldon hadn't known what was bothering him until he said it out loud. That was it, though - the variable that he hadn't considered. Amy could leave him now without so much as a signature on a piece of paper.

"What?"

"Amy can leave," The words came out of his mouth again as though he were just realizing that he'd made a mathematical error at the beginning of an equation that was three white-boards long. "There's nothing keeping her here with me now."

"What are you talking about?"

_Seriously… has he always been this dense?_

"Our Relationship Agreement. I hadn't considered it before. I thought I had considered everything prior to the termination… but I forgot a major detail."

"Amy won't leave – "

"Well, of course she _won't_. I'm a catch. But she _could_," His eyes widened as he realized that his concerns might appear a bit 'hippy-dippy'. He straightened his back and held his chin high. "It's already taken so much effort to incorporate Amy into my life. And who would help me clean the earwax from my ears if she left? Nobody else seems too keen on helping me with that problem."

"That's because it's disgusting, Sheldon. And completely unnecessary."

"I have an over-productive cerumen glands, Leonard!" Sheldon said adamantly. "What good is Vulcan hearing if my ears are clogged?"

Leonard sighed, then gave him a sideways smirk. "Well… what are you so worried about? Like you said… you're a catch, right?"

Sheldon nodded. Sure, Amy was lucky to have him. It didn't change the fact that it made him nervous to not have her attached to him in writing.

"Sheldon? You okay?"

He brought his eyes up to meet Leonard's. Of course his friend wouldn't understand this; He and Penny had always left their relationship to chance. It was like they were playing a game of _Chutes and Ladders_ with their lives. Leonard was used to this type of nonsense and chaos.

"I'm fine, Leonard. Nevermind."

His roommate patted him on the shoulder. "It'll be okay. You'll just have to work harder at keeping her, hm? Maybe do some things that _she_ wants to do."

_Things that she wants to do? Everything I do is something she wants to do! _That's what had led to the termination of the Agreement in the first place. He wouldn't have even considered it if they hadn't been moving forward at a blindingly-fast pace.

"I'm going to bed, Sheldon," Leonard said, without waiting for him to respond. "Penny and I are going to eat breakfast with her parents in the morning before they fly back to Nebraska."

Sheldon nodded at his friend. _I suppose in all the proposal commotion Leonard 'forgot' that he promised to take me to work in the morning._

_And so it starts… the beginning of the end._

The physicist watched his friend hobble down the hallway to his bedroom, removing his shoes along the way.

Left alone, Sheldon pondered his predicament. Surely there was some way that he could ensure that Amy would remain his girlfriend? He'd become accustomed to her presence in his life, after all. There had to be _something_ he could do that would give him the confidence he needed on a daily basis that she would remain just a phone call away if he wanted to speak with her, or that she would be available to him if he required her opinion about something.

He sighed as he realized this would take some thought and planning.

He would be getting no sleep tonight.

* * *

Across town in her own apartment, the woman in question – Amy Farrah Fowler - was running her brush through her dark brown hair. It took more effort than usual to get the bristles through the tangled mass of curls that had been stuck in place with copious amounts of gel and spray.

Making a mental note to only use hairspray on the rarest of occasions from this point forward, the neurobiologist finally crawled into bed and placed her glasses on the nightstand beside her pillow.

Her mind was reeling after the night's events.

Her boyfriend – _the_ Dr. Sheldon Cooper – the same man who just a few months ago wouldn't go to one of her relative's birthday parties without three days written notice, the man who had a specific day slated for date nights and a schedule for his bowel movements, the man who cherished procedure above all else... _This_ man had gone out on a limb for her. He had thrown caution and structure to the wind and was willing to open himself up.

Her heart had been beating at an elevated rate all evening… and showed no signs of slowing down soon._ I really should chart that in the morning, to make sure I'm okay, _she thought, _to make sure there's no permanent damage._ She wouldn't care if there was, though. Permanent damage be damned; This was the best feeling in the world.

She couldn't wait to spill the details at her upcoming girls' night with Penny, Bernadette and – now – Claire, but she was even more excited for her next encounter with Sheldon.

What would they do when they were together again? It could be anything. Hold hands in public? Hug in front of their friends? _Kiss _in front of them? The possibilities were endless. The restrictions of their Relationship Agreement were no more.

She pulled the cord on her bedside lamp and darkness filled the room.

Amy lay in silence for several minutes, trying to list the bones in the human body from memory to make herself fall asleep. She made it through the entire skeleton twice before she realized that it was no use… she was simply too excited.

She'd be getting no sleep tonight.

* * *

**Chapter Two coming (relatively) soon!  
**

**A/N:** If you followed my last story, then you know I love reviews and constructive criticism. Please don't be shy! I enjoy hearing what you think – even if it is something you feel I can improve upon. Many thanks in advance!

Also, I can't guarantee that I will be able to update this at a regular pace. New chapter postings will never be RIDICULOUSLY spaced out... but several factors may limit my writing/editing time. For one: I'm starting a new job, but also (even though I already have 12 chapters written) some of the latter chapters are causing me some trouble. I may hold off on posting a couple of the earlier chapters until I can figure out some of the key technical issues towards the end. A lot of it will be directly connected to earlier events in the story... so I don't want to box myself in later. I'm hoping to get that all sorted out soon, though! ;o) Just for your own reference: I don't anticipate this story going any longer than about 15 chapters.

Ok... enough jibber-jabber. Tell me what you think about the first chapter!


	2. The Transmission Delay Implication

I TOTALLY forgot to do my shout-outs that I was planning to do when I started this story! I can't believe I forgot. I have to thank a couple of amazing people. First of all, **_Cubomi_**. I met her through this website and she's become a wonderful online friend and a great source of confidence for me with this story. And secondly, **_Pinnatus_** has been a great reviewer since I started writing on this site and she was the source of inspiration for this story's dual-perspective nature. So, if you all like the fact that I've incorporated a bit of Sheldon's POV into this continuation, she's the one to thank for giving me the idea. If you don't like it… she's the one to blame. ;o)

I wanted to do the shout-outs not only to thank them for their help, but also to let everyone know that I really do take your comments and messages into consideration in my writing. With my past couple of stories, my reviewers have helped me immensely through little suggestions here and there. Thank you all!

* * *

**The Compatibility Equilibrium  
Chapter Two: The Transmission Delay Implication**

* * *

The morning following Penny's play, Amy was scheduled to meet up with her parents at their apartment on the second floor of 2311 Los Robles to help pack their belongings and begin the arduous task of moving them into her Aunt Edith's home in Glendale.

It wouldn't have topped her list of things to do with her spare time on the weekend, but she had promised them that she would help. She was also excited that the process of vacating them from the premises was moving along at such a rapid pace. The sooner they were out of the building, the sooner she and Sheldon could participate in more … _private_… activities. Privately. Alone. Just the two of them.

That was all the motivation she needed.

Amy held her breath as soon as she entered the lobby, pointlessly anticipating that she might run into her boyfriend.

She kept telling herself that she was acting silly. Sheldon had informed her that he would be at Caltech this morning. She suspected that his sudden need to go to work on a weekend had something to do with avoiding the obligation to help her parents pack – But even if he _had_ been at home, he wouldn't have been downstairs at this time of day on a Sunday. It wasn't laundry day, and there was no mail to collect. No, if he were at home he would most likely have been sitting at his computer reading online physics journals or updating himself on the latest information about one of his superhero comics or something.

_What am I expecting, anyway?_ Had she thought he would meet her on the stairs, take one look at her and not be able to control himself? Had she been expecting that he would just push her against the wall of the stairwell and take her right here in between the first and second floors? No. She was being foolish.

_Get a grip, Fowler._

She reached her parents' door and rapped her knuckles against it gently.

Her dad answered a few moments later, opening the door with great effort as he balanced himself on a pair of aluminum crutches. "Hey, Button! Come on in. Thanks for helping us out."

"Of course," Amy smiled as she moseyed into the apartment and removed her bag from her shoulder. "That's what daughters are for. We're born, eat all your food, spend all your money, then… 30 years later – _bam_! – free labor."

Her dad laughed and closed the door behind her.

Amy took in her surroundings. The living room was flooded in a sea of bubble wrap and cardboard boxes. Some were filled with books or figurines wrapped in newspaper. Others were empty, but had stacks of small appliances or kitchenware next to them. There didn't appear to be any sort of procedure in place.

"Organized chaos," her dad said, noting the look on her face. He hobbled over to the couch and plopped down next to one of the empty boxes, then grabbed a stack of DVDs and began placing them neatly inside.

"Crutches, huh?" Amy nodded to the apparatus he'd just leaned against the couch. "Tired of the wheelchair?"

She sat down beside him and pulled a handful of newspaper pages into her lap to begin wrapping up nearby coffee mugs.

"Yes." Her dad sighed. "Besides, there are just too many boxes in here. I couldn't move around in that danged chair even if I wanted to."

Her dad's broken leg was healing nicely, but was still proving to be quite the obstacle for someone who lived in a building without a functional elevator. Amy was surprised he'd even bothered to leave the apartment to attend Penny's play.

Amy's mom, Carol, came in from their bedroom carrying a huge pile of bedding in her arms. She dropped it on the floor with a groan, then jumped back in surprise when she noticed her daughter.

"Oh! Amy, I didn't hear you come in!"

Amy smiled at her mom. "Do you need any help? I'm just putting away these mugs."

"No, that's fine. But when you're done with that, if you could fold these sheets and blankets for me, that would be great. Your father's of little use to me in his current physical state," She patted James on the head. "No offense, dear."

"Oh, believe me, I know the only thing I'm good for is comedic relief."

Carol gave him a confused look and quickly shuffled back into her bedroom, muttering unintelligibly to herself.

"She's been a bit scatterbrained," James told Amy with a chuckle.

"Understandable. This _will_ be your second move in a very short amount of time."

She and her father continued their tasks in companionable silence for several minutes.

"So… have you talked to Sheldon today?" He finally asked, as he placed the last of the DVDs into his box.

Amy couldn't help but blush at the mention of her boyfriend's name. The subject was an awkward one, considering what had happened the night before in full view of everyone. She felt her cheeks heat up and turned away from her father, pretending to look for another mug to wrap.

"Umm… nope. Sure haven't." She was certain that her attempt to mask her unease with the topic was unsuccessful, as her voice cracked a little as she spoke.

James simply smiled.

"Why?" she asked. "Have _you_ talked to him?" She continued to avoid eye contact; keeping up the ruse that she was searching for a nearby mug, which she knew didn't exist. She'd already packed them all.

"Nope. Sure haven't," her dad echoed with a mischievous grin.

The fact that her parents had been witness to one of the most intimate moments in the entire history of her relationship – or, in fact, her life – was something that she wished she could wipe from her memory. She held firmly to the belief that the science and technology to do so already existed… _it's those damn ethical restrictions that are the problem._

Although, she probably couldn't erase that _particular_ memory from her brain without also wiping the memory of the entire incident with Sheldon in her car… and she sure as Hades wasn't going to get rid of that one. That one was going to be on repeat in her head for a while.

With no more mugs in sight, and no other good reason to keep her attention diverted, Amy finally turned to face her dad. She was sure there was still a pink hue on her cheeks.

"He certainly seems to love you very much," James said.

Amy nodded and couldn't hold back her smile. "I love him, too."

"Ah, to be young and in love," he grinned, pulling the packing tape across his box.

"JAMES!" Carol's voice pierced the air from the bedroom and Amy's father winced. "JAMES! I need your help! I can't reach this picture frame! Your height is about the only thing you're good for right now!"

He snickered a bit. "Old and in love just doesn't have the same zeal."

"Oh, I don't know about that," Amy laughed as her father grabbed his crutches and pushed himself off the couch to go help his wife.

Amy took the opportunity while she was alone to check her phone. Sheldon still hadn't responded to her. She'd sent him a 'Good Morning' text, and had expected some sort of acknowledgement by now. He was typically very adamant about promptly returning of any sort electronic communication.

_Maybe he's just busy at work_, she shrugged.

A text from Penny popped across her screen confirming girls' night that evening, and Amy smiled. She couldn't wait to gossip about her tryst in the backseat of her car.

_Me!_ She thought. _Turning up the heat in the backseat with my boyfriend. Just like any of the popular girls in high school!_

It seemed that she truly was a part of the real – or, at least, the more 'conventional' – dating world now.

* * *

The bar was predictably quiet for a Sunday evening. Its few patrons were older and obviously not looking to chat with anyone. People were scattered sporadically across the room, mostly keeping to themselves… either in deep thought about their own problems or just trying to relax from the events of the day.

The only exception to the somber atmosphere was a table of four women, three of whom were blondes, completely entranced by a steamy tale from their brunette neurobiologist friend.

"And then… we signed the termination. And that was that." Amy tossed what was left of her drink back into her throat. She'd had more than one cocktail that evening, using the excuse that it was a special occasion – which, the more she thought about it, wasn't the too far from the truth.

"Wow," Penny, Bernadette, and Claire chimed in unison.

Amy nodded in agreement.

"Of course… you saw what happened next," she wiggled her eyebrows at her friends, and they all giggled.

"Sorry about Howie," Bernadette apologized. "He really has no tact sometimes."

"Yeah - If it wasn't for your nosy husband who knows how far Sheldon and I would have gone! He was getting pretty handsy in that car. He might have even made it to second base if it wasn't for your hubs."

Amy knew that was a lie. She and Sheldon wouldn't have gone too much further that night. In fact, if Howard hadn't interrupted them when he had, Amy probably would have stopped the encounter herself. It was getting a little too intense for such a public place, and – as much as she had been yearning for Sheldon to touch her in that way – she wanted it to happen in a more private location. With a bed. And romantic music. And maybe candles. The way she had written about in her dream book with her fluorescent gel pens when she was fourteen.

Of course, she wouldn't admit that to the girls - Oh, no. This was gossip time, and she wanted her gossip to stay as juicy as possible. She _never_ had the good gossip; And a little exaggeration never hurt anyone.

"Sheldon was like an animal," Amy continued with just a sprinkle of hyperbole. "He couldn't get enough of me."

"You'll have to have him teach my guy a thing or two," Claire sighed with awe. "For a chemist, Ben sure doesn't know how to get a reaction going, if you know what I mean."

"Sheldon giving romance advice?" Bernadette squeaked with laughter. "Even with everything that's happened, I still can't picture that!"

To Amy's delight, Penny and Bernadette had taken to Claire quite easily. They'd welcomed her with open arms, and within a half hour of her joining their table, it felt as though she had been a member of their close-knit group for years.

"Well, I don't know if Ben would be very receptive to hearing _anything_ Sheldon has to say," Amy argued. "The two of them didn't get along very well."

"True," Claire nodded.

"Wait, wait, wait," Penny waved her hands in the air to halt the conversation. "You're telling me Sheldon doesn't get along with someone?" Her jaw dropped in mock surprise. "Well! Knock me over with a feather."

"It wasn't just Sheldon," Claire insisted, when she noticed Amy's frown. "Ben was just as much to blame."

Amy smiled softly at her new friend. Claire was one of the sweetest people she had ever met. In some ways, she understood Amy even better than Penny and Bernadette – whom she had known for years now.

Still, Amy was ready to change the subject. Any further talk about her little rendezvous with Sheldon, and she was going to have to delve into the realm of white lies in order to keep it sounding spicy for her more experienced friends… something she had neither the desire nor the ability to pull off very well, as witnessed by her attempts at developing a fake relationship with Arman the miniature horse breeder.

"So, Penny," Amy suavely transitioned, "Have you and Leonard talked wedding dates yet?"

Penny held out her left hand and admired her engagement ring with her big, sparkling blue eyes. Amy still couldn't believe that her bestie had finally plucked up the courage to take such a big step with Leonard.

"No. I'm sure Leonard's probably dreaming of some fairytale wedding, but I don't really want anything too fancy. I'd be content just going to the Justice of the Peace. We haven't really had the opportunity to talk about it much, though," she heaved a happy sigh. "He darted out of there right after you left last night, you know."

"He did?" Amy furrowed her brow. That wasn't like Leonard at all. _Why would he have left Penny on such an important night?_

"Yeah," Penny shrugged. "Something about Sheldon needing help. I didn't ask questions. And, honestly, I didn't mind. I had a lot of other irons in the fire last night anyway. And its not like we won't have our whole lives to be with each other… right?"

"_Hmm… interesting_," Bernadette mumbled.

"What?" Penny asked with confusion. "Should I have been upset? Should I have been clingy?" She groaned and ran her hands through her hair. "Man! I'm no good at this fiancé stuff."

"No… no…" Bernadette continued. "I'm sure you and Leonard are fine. It's just… " The bespectacled microbiologist nudged her head nervously toward Amy. "I wonder what kind of problem _Sheldon_ was having?"

"Oh!" Penny glanced quickly at their brunette friend and then bit her lip.

Amy's eyes darted between the two of them. "Are you insinuating that Sheldon might be having second thoughts about what happened between us?"

The girls didn't say anything. They both played awkwardly with the rims of their empty cocktail glasses.

"Surely Sheldon wouldn't do that!" Claire offered. "He's a man of his word… isn't he?"

"Of course he is!"

"So, you have nothing to worry about then… right?"

Penny waved her hand in the air, as though she were swatting away the implication. "No, no, no … I'm sure Dr. Love hasn't changed his mind one bit. In fact, I'm betting he won't be able to keep his hands off of you from now on. You might want to invest in some pepper spray, woman._ AmIRight_?"

Penny winked at her friend, but her expression wasn't too convincing.

_Do I have something to worry about?_ Amy wondered._ If not… then why would Sheldon need to talk to Leonard so urgently? Urgently enough that Leonard would leave Penny…_

Amy heard her phone ding in her purse, alerting her to the fact that she had a text message. She dug her hand into the bag and felt around blindly, until she found the device and pulled it out.

Her face paled when she saw the words on her screen.

"Who is that?" Penny asked. "Oh my gosh… it's started hasn't it? Is that a booty call?"

Bernadette snickered and choked on her drink a bit, and Amy pursed her lips at her friends before rereading Sheldon's text to herself.

_– We should talk. – _

* * *

"Sheldon, what the heck are you doing?"

"Hm?" Sheldon looked up from his phone to meet the frustrated eyes of his roommate.

"What are you doing over there?" Leonard repeated. "It's your turn."

Sheldon studied his friends, who were hovering over the pile of _Mystic Warlords of Ka'a_ cards on the coffee table. He had abandoned his hand to grab a beverage from the kitchen, but had become distracted by the fact that Amy hadn't responded to his text message. Besides, the game had grown dull. He'd long ago figured out who was going to win… and it wasn't him.

"You no longer need me in the game," he said. "I'll play my Water Nymph card. Leonard, you'll play the Lesser Demon Turtle that you have in your hand. Raj will put down his Fairy Godmonster and Howard will play his Hellhound card. Then I'll have no choice but to play my Lava Serpent. Leonard, you've only got an Enchanted Bunny left after that… Howard will be out of playable cards and Raj, by default, will win."

"We've asked you not to do that," Howard groaned, throwing down his cards in irritation.

"I'm _sorry_, " Sheldon said with an annoyed huff. "It's just no fun for me to keep playing when I know I won't be victorious. Believe me, I wish I _could_ participate in a game with those limited by lesser mental acuity. It certainly would make it a better experience for _me_."

"Counting cards should be illegal," Leonard glared at him.

"You can't criminalize _skill_, Leonard."

"Hey, you don't hear me complaining," Raj grinned smugly and shrugged his shoulders as he began stacking up the cards to put away. "I won."

Sheldon's phone vibrated in his hand and he glanced down to see that his girlfriend had finally returned his text._  
_

– _Ok._ _I'll stop by your apartment after work tomorrow._ –

He quickly relayed his approval and made a mental note to reprimand her about her response time. Five minutes was way too long. What if it had been urgent?

"Who are you texting over there?" Howard asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Nobody," Sheldon said, shoving the phone back into his pocket. As if he would tell Howard, of all people, that he was conversing with his girlfriend. The pint-sized engineer would just find some way to make fun of him; especially considering what the entire group had witnessed outside of the theater the night before.

"It's _Amy_, isn't it?" Howard teased, a sly smirk forming on his face.

"Not another word, Howard." Sheldon pointed an intimidating boney finger at him.

Leonard made a half-hearted attempt to hide his grin. "Come on, Howard. Give the man a break."

"Just remember…" Raj said, with a soft, understanding tone. "The way to keep a woman happy is through reciprocation of affection. Don't be afraid to express your _feelings_."

"Oh, shut up, Raj," Sheldon scoffed. "Like you know what you're talking about." He made a beeline down the hallway to his room and closed his door. His phone buzzed again, and he pulled it back out.

_– I love you –_

He rolled his eyes, then deftly tapped his thumbs across his keypad to send his reply.

_– I know –_

He was about to tuck his phone back into his pocket, but – remembering Raj's suggestion – decided to type a follow-up message.

_– I love you, too –_

His thumb hovered over the 'send' button for a moment. He finally sighed and delivered the message, before tucking the phone away for good.

_When I did I become such a hippy?_

* * *

**Chapter Three Coming (sort of) Soon!**

**A/N: **I knew that with my new job, my chapter postings were not going to be as timely as my previous stories... but this chapter took me longer to post than I had intended. Sorry about that! Thank you so much for the responses to my first chapter, though! Please keep 'em comin'!


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